My Two Cents: Can Happy Rays Continue Thier Winning Ways on Road?

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Much has been made of the Tampa Bay Rays playing home games in a temporary stadium this year, but we haven't talked enough about how great they've been on the road.

They have best road record in baseball, going 20-14 for a .588 win percentage. They are one of just six teams with a winning mark on the road — but they stand at the top of the heap. They are 48-39 overall, one game behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East, and tied for second with the slumping New York Yankees.

That road success will come in handy as they open a 10-game road trip in Minnesota on Friday afternoon. They'll play three games there, three more in Detroit and then close out the first half of the season with four games in Boston before hitting the All-Star break.

"A lot of challenge, definitely. We start in Minnesota, and we'll go in there and try to play good baseball,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Set a tone with our pitchers, and we get to hit first there, so let's see if we can score some early runs.

"But I really like the way we've played as a whole, home or road. I know it's a long stretch going in (to the All-Star break) but the guys got their three or four nights home here being with their families, and now we'll adjust and try to play good ball in Minnesota.''

There are only six of 30 teams with winning records on the road, with just three others at an even .500. Here are the top nine road teams in baseball so far this season, heading into the games of July 4:

With the move to Steinbrenner Field in Tampa after Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg was damaged during Hurricane Milton last fall, MLB decided to front-load the Rays schedule with home games to avoid the summer-time rain showers. So they switched two series, and the Los Angeles Angels and Twins both played in Tampa early. Now they'll make it up in Minnesota this weekend, and will travel to Anaheim in August as part of a two-week, four-city road trip.

This move actually helps the Rays a bit. They were off on Thursday, but the Twins played the Marlins in their series finale on Thursday afternoon and then made that long flight home instead of coming to Tampa.

That gives the Rays an extra day of rest, and even though both teams had to fly to Minneapolis, at least the Rays didn't play a game first.

That matters a lit this time of year. Baseball can be a real grind in July, with a lot of hot weather and not a lot of days off. Before Thursday, the Rays had played 19 games in 20 days.

"That was a big one (Wednesday), because I think we were kind of tired,'' Rays outfielder Josh Lowe said after the 6-5 win in the series finale at home with the Athletics after losing the first two in the final innings. "Kansas City was hot, Baltimore was hot, it was hot here in this homestand. It was good we could get a win heading into the road trip.''

The Rays got off to a slow start this year, and they were just 21-26 entering play on May 20. But they've been 27-13 since then. That's a quarter of the season, and a 109-win pace.

It helped getting Josh Lowe back in the lineup on May 15. He strained an oblique in the opener and missed six weeks. He's hitting .269 with six homers and 15 RBIs, mostly from the leadoff spot.

It's helped a lot, too, that Brandon Lowe and Yandy Diaz, who are usually right behind him in the order, have been on fire, too. Brandon Lowe has an 18-game hitting streak going, the longest of his career and the longest active streak in baseball. He''s hitting. 274 with 50 RBIs.

He was hitting just .190 on May 11, but has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. In his last 45 games, he's hitting 54-for-170 — a hefty .318 average. Fourteen of his 19 homers have come since then.

Diaz has been even hotter. He hit. 400 in June, only the third Rays player to ever do that in a month. He's batting .291 now with 14 homers and 49 RBIs. He was hitting just .238 back in May when Josh Lowe returned.

"They're both so hot right now that you just want to get on base in front of them and let them do their thing,'' Josh Lowe said. "They're two special hitters, and we never take that for granted, but it's certainly fun to watch.''

Brandon Lowe, who's hitting better than any second baseman in the game, hasn't always been the most consistent hitter. He was known mor for his crazy hot streaks. But this year, he's that this current 18-game hitting streak since June 10, and also had a 13-game hitting streak from May 17-31.

That's consistency. He's hit safely in 31 of the last 35 games he's started.

"He's on a pretty impressive run and I hope it continues. He's really seeing the ball well,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Brandon Lowe.

All three games in Minnesota are day games at Target Field. Friday's game starts at 4:10 p.m. ET, with Zack Littell (7-7, 3.70 ERA) taking on Chris Paddack (3-7, 4.70 ERA). These two pitchers also met in the series opener in Tampa — ironically on Memorial Day on May 26. The Rays won 7-2 that day, and won the series 2-1.

The Saturday and Sunday games both start at 2:10 p.m. ET. And as good as the Rays are playing on the road, this is a golden opportunity to continue to pile on road wins. The Twins are scuffling right now. They have lost 17 of their pass 22 games, and are suddenly 12.5 games behind Detroit in the AL Central race. They were a wild-card team before the slump, but now are four games behind No. 6 seed Seattle right now.

The time is right for the Rays. The would be another good road series to win. The Rays are 7-2 in their last night games vs. AL Central teams, and that would be a good trend to continue, as well.